Demystifying Mental Toughness

Why do athletes work with a Sports Psychologist? One of the biggest reasons is that they struggle to transfer their skills from training to competitive situations. Which provides the topic for today's episode of the Demystifying Mental Toughness podcast. Former professional basketball player and author Dre Baldwin goes on to tell me his thoughts on why athletes can struggle to compete as well as they practice. We also share some useful ideas and strategies to help you. Enjoy tuning in! Key Takeaways include: Getting used to trusting your skills in live uncontrolled situations is crucial for success. Understanding that you must respond instinctively to the randomness that sport throws at you is important too. You will get beaten and fail often, this is ok, you'll survive and will learn as a result. Any amount of thinking is overthinking when you are performing. Fear of trying to be perfect breeds tension and causes your rhythm and timing to go out of sync. Consider the key ingredients of a great performance, aspects that are within your control and strive to repeat them time and again. Connect with Dre Baldwin: Instagram YouTube Website Connect with David Charlton: Sign Up to The Mental Edge Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn Helpful Podcast Episodes Ep 039: John Fletcher – How to Develop Fearless Athletes Ep088: Dre Baldwin – How To Play As Well As You Practice Ep093: Dan Abrahams – How to Overcome Mental Blocks in Football Ep209: Felix Lehmann - How To Create Better Decision Makers On The Football Pitch Ep221: Jeremy Snape - How To Use Pre Performance Routines When The Pressure Is On #BITESIZE

Cricket is a unique sport where despite being a team sport it can also be argued to be an individual sport. One of the biggest challenges is batting and dealing with the aftermath of low scores and the walk of shame. In this BITE-SIZED episode, Tom Jones, a highly qualified youth cricket coach and owner of Cricket Coach 365 and I discuss mental toughness when batting and offer you advice on how to deal with the pressures that you will likely face. Key Learning Points: As a batter the walk to and from the wicket can be difficult for youngsters especially when they haven't performed well. The ability to come to recognise that you will fail more than you will succeed can help you. When batting understanding what is within your control and what is outside of your control is useful. The closest parallel to batting when you get out, is missing a penalty in football, in a penalty shootout. Catastrophizing as a batter when you perform poorly is very easy – why not ask yourself the question how can I have a positive influence on the rest of the game? Connect with Tom Jones LinkedIn Instagram Website Connect with David Charlton Sign Up to The Mental Edge Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn Relevant podcasts with a focus in cricket Ep072: Tom Jones – Mastering the Mental Side of Cricket Ep091: Jarrod Leathem – How to Transfer Your Cricket Skills to Matches Ep221: Jeremy Snape – How To Use Pre Performance Routines When The Pressure Is On #BITESIZE Relevant podcasts to help you deal with pressure Ep169: Professor Adam Nicholls - How To Perform Under Pressure Close To Your Best #BITESIZE Ep219: Brian Hemmings - Golfers: How To Improve Your Putting With A Quiet Eye Approach #BITESIZE Ep224: Aaron Walsh – How To Help Professional Rugby Players Perform Better Under Pressure #BITESIZE For More Resources for Cricketers Blog - Make Bowling Simple by Avoiding these 3 Common Mental Game Errors Blog - Being an Intelligent Batsman can be a Problem Blog - Batting with a Quiet Mind

Penny Mallory was the first woman to drive in the world rally championships. On her way to do so she showed immense commitment to her craft and made lots of sacrifices in pursuit of success. In this bite-sized episode she goes on to share her secrets and the mentality that took her to the top of her sport. Enjoy tuning in! Key Takeaways: Ambition requires personal sacrifices. Taking risks are necessary to achieve your dreams. There is often a price to pay for committing yourself to your craft. If you set aside 10 minutes each day to work on a particular area in 5 years you would accumulate over 304 hours worth of practice. Where do you waste time when you don't need to? How do you stay energised and refreshed? Connect with Penny Mallory LinkedIn Website Penny's Book - World Class Thinking, World Class Behaviour: Adopt a winning mindset to get what you want Connect with David Charlton Sign Up to The Mental Edge Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn Useful Podcast Episodes To Improve Your Commitment Levels Ep037: Penny Mallory – World Class Thinking, World Class Behaviour Ep042: Mark Bennett MBE – Characteristics of High Performance Athletes Ep138: Nick Littlehales – Why do the Mentally Tough see Sleep and Recovery as Important Ep214: Ellen McDermott – How To Create Helpful Eating Habits To Benefit Your Sport Performance Ep215: Fenwick Ridley – How Ice Swimming And Cold Immersion Can Help You Take Control Of Your Destiny

Do you ever believe you are your thoughts? Do you often take your thoughts way too seriously? If so you'll enjoy today's podcast episode as my guest, Keagen Hadley author of Torn: Overcoming the Psychological Challenges Post-ACL Injury talks about using Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT) as a potentially helpful solution. Specifically we discuss cognitive defusion as a way to help you create distance from your thoughts. Key Learning Points: Cognitive Fusion is concerned with the mess our thoughts in relation to our identity can have where our thoughts can often dominate our reality. Examples include; "I am broken", "I am rubbish…" Mastering cognitive defusion can help you create distance from your thoughts and see things from a fresh perspective. Cognitive defusion goes on to promote psychological flexibility and empowers you to relate to your situation and thought processes with greater openness and adaptability. One approach you could take to help you is to smile at yourself and your situation as it can help you make peace and shift your perspective. When you perform and see red mist, slowing down, taking a slow walk can also be a useful way to take the sting out of the situation. Connect with Keagan Hadley LinkedIn Website BOOK: Torn Overcoming Psychological Challenges Post ACL Connect with David Charlton Sign Up to The Mental Edge Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn To Listen to the Full Podcast Episodes Ep092: Dr James Hegarty – ACT in Sport, Improving Performance through Mindfulness Ep124: Dr Keagan Hadley – Long Term Injuries: How to Confront Difficult Thoughts and Emotions Ep205: Dr Carl Bescoby – Rehabilitation And Returning To Sport: How To Support Injured Athletes Ep235: Trevor Jones - How To Use ACT To Improve Your Coaching In Sport #BITESIZE Ep236: Dr James Hegarty - How To Use ACT and Mindfulness When You've Got Lots Of Time To Think #BITESIZE

In different sports such as golf and cricket, athletes can be placed in situations where they have a lot of thinking time. Too much thinking time for some! Due to their high level of motivation, focus of attention, fatigue, emotions and many other factors this thinking time can create havoc in their minds. As a result, indecision, fear and self-doubt can take over. In today's episode, Dr James Hegarty, co-author of the book ACT in Sport: Mindfulness, Acceptance and Commitment shares some ideas on how athletes can help themselves so that they don't view this thinking time as a negative and are effective in how they get mentally ready. Psychological flexibility is at the heart of our discussion. Key Learning Points: All athletes can get caught out thinking ahead predicting future events. As humans, athletes also can easily dwell on past mistakes. Developing psychological flexibility is a hugely beneficial skill to have in your armoury as an athlete. Athletes should practice basic mindfulness of the breath to build a foundation. Cricketers can focus on sensations of the sun or cold wind on their face after dropping a catch to refocus. Mindfulness allows athletes to step away from over-analysing mistakes and get their head back in the game. My challenge for May 2024 is to see if I can dial in and be mindful at least 100 times per golf round of golf I play! I'll report on how I get on. Connect with Dr James Hegarty Website Email: james@hegartyconsulting.co.nz Book – ACT in Sport: Mindfulness, Acceptance and Commitment Connect with David Charlton Sign Up to The Mental Edge Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn Podcasts Episodes Connect to ACT and Mindfulness Ep092: Dr James Hegarty – ACT in Sport, Improving Performance through Mindfulness Ep099: Trevor Jones – How to Deal with Overthinking on the Golf Course Ep124: Dr Keagan Hadley – Long Term Injuries: How to Confront Difficult Thoughts and Emotions Ep205: Dr Carl Bescoby – Rehabilitation And Returning To Sport: How To Support Injured Athletes Ep235: Trevor Jones - How To Use ACT To Improve Your Coaching In Sport #BITESIZE

Many athletes, golfers or people in everyday life take their thoughts too seriously. They then get caught up overthinking and it causes havoc with their decision making. In golfing terms, paralysis by analysis can take over, when the pressure is on and the result is often poor shots and missed putts. And lots of frustration! In this episode, Trevor Jones a PGA Professional Golf Coach and Mental Performance Coach and I chat about this topic where he shares as a coach how he uses Acceptance Commitment Therapy or Training (ACT) to help golfers and other athletes deal with these challenges. Key Learning Points: Feeling confident on every shot is unrealistic. All humans experience self-doubt. We all can get ahead of ourselves or get caught out dwelling on past mistakes. Nurturing psychological flexibility is very helpful tool to have in your toolkit. A challenge for you, seek to integrate mindfulness into your everyday life. Connect with Trevor Jones Instagram Watch Professor Steven C Hayes discussing performance psychology from an ACT perspective with Trevor Jones Website | Aware Performance Group LLC Connect with David Charlton Sign Up to The Mental Edge Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn To Listen To Golf Related Podcast Episodes To Help You Ep099: Trevor Jones – How to Deal with Overthinking on the Golf Course Ep167: Karl Morris – How To Manage Your Emotions To Improve Your Golf Ep228: Gio Valiante – Lessons From Overconfident Golfers That Can Help You Perform Better For More Resources so You Can Shoot Lower Scores on The Golf Course Golfers Mental Scorecard Golf Psychology FAQs Golf Blogs Golf Podcasts Podcasts Episodes Connect to ACT and Mindfulness Ep092: Dr James Hegarty – ACT in Sport, Improving Performance through Mindfulness Ep124: Dr Keagan Hadley – Long Term Injuries: How to Confront Difficult Thoughts and Emotions EP136: Charlotte Potts – Overcoming Tough Times in Professional Women's Football and Bouncing Back Stronger

How often in sport do you see an athlete make the wrong decision under pressure? Often I'd say! Even at the highest level in elite professional sport. Indecision, overthinking, paralysis by analysis, having too much time to think of the consequences, a lack of trust in skills or fear are often the reasons for poor decision making. In this short bite-sized episode, Paul Phillips an author and culture developer and I discuss overthinking in sport where we share some helpful tips so that you can deal better with pressure in the moment. Key Learning Points: Helping athletes generate behaviours before thoughts and emotions is a helpful skill. James Clear's two-minute rule in the book Atomic Habits is a useful approach to take when you are feeling indecisive. In rugby the size of an opponent can trigger fear responses, overthinking and poor decision making. Visual, kinaesthetic and auditory cues and triggers are helpful in overcoming fear, Using metaphors such as images of animals or superhero's is a helpful trigger for adults and children. Spending time with process training, practicing and rehearsing pre-shot and pre-performance routines are hugely beneficial. Connect with Paul Phillips LinkedIn Book: How to Create Culture: In Rugby Union Connect with David Charlton Sign Up to The Mental Edge Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn To Listen to Podcasts To Help Overthinkers Ep092: Dr James Hegarty – ACT in Sport, Improving Performance through Mindfulness Ep156: Ruth Chiles – There is Hope: How to Overcome Focal Dystonia Ep161: Paul Phillips – How to Create a Culture of High Performance in Professional Rugby Union Ep221: Jeremy Snape - How To Use Pre Performance Routines When The Pressure Is On Ep224: Aaron Walsh - How To Help Professional Rugby Players Perform Better Under Pressure Helpful Resources For The Overthinker Blog - Overthinking on the Rugby Pitch Blog - Do You Start Matches with a ONE-NIL DOWN Mindset? Blog - 7 Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Bowl Every Delivery Blog - Is Your Head Focused On The Right Things How to Trust Your Skills When You're a Goalkeeper

In the last of this 3 part series created for parents of young adults and kids who play football or soccer I discuss how fear can wreck a youngsters fun and enjoyment on the pitch. Common responses to fear before matches include performance anxiety, physical sickness, feigning injury and refusing to play. It's a hugely difficult challenge to navigate as a parent therefore I share a tool connected with mindfulness which can help ease the young footballer's anxieties. Connect with David Charlton Sign up to The X-FACTOR regular emails helping football and soccer players to get the most from their talent Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn Check out our library of content supporting football and soccer players and coaches Relevant Resources To Help Parents Children and Youth Motivation for Sport Checklist – For Kids Children and Youth Motivation for Sport Checklist - For Parents Football or Soccer Coach Motivation Checklist – For Parents who coach Youth Sports Psychology Library – For Parents

What is the most mentally challenging position on the football or soccer pitch? Many people would argue it's the goalkeeper. Common psychological challenges goalkeepers face include; coping with mistakes and bouncing back strongly, dealing with tough and physical opponents, playing the ball out from the back with their feet in uncomfortable situations, communicating effectively with team-mates, selection issues and dealing with time on the bench. Today, Andy Elleray, an author and goalkeeping coach, who has worked for clubs such as Chelsea and Bristol Rovers tells me about mental toughness and how it applies to goalkeeping sharing some advice, I also provide a suggestion on how goalkeepers can help themselves remain calm and composed when faced with difficulties on the pitch. Key Learnings All goalkeepers make mistakes. Being able to accepts making mistakes and move on is a skill that goalkeepers can develop. Helping goalkeepers master the controllables is essential. Trigger words or physical triggers (using sweat bands or super-hero bands) can help goalkeepers move on more quickly from mistakes. Try the calm and composed face exercise to help you. Connect with David Charlton Sign up to The X-FACTOR regular emails helping football and soccer players to get the most from their talent Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn Connect with Any Elleray Website LinkedIn Twitter: @andyelleray / @lilys_goal Relevant Podcast Episodes Ep08: Brendan Pearson - Academy Football, Professional Football, Injuries and Early Retirement Ep087: Carl Bell – From Professional Football and Goalkeeping to Physiotherapy Ep093: Dan Abrahams – How to Overcome Mental Blocks in Football Ep151: Compilation - Football Psychology: 50 Ways You Can Improve Your Performance Ep165: Andy Elleray - How To Master the Mental Challenges Goalkeeping Throws at You Other Valuable Football or Soccer Resources Goalkeeping Psychology | Mental Skills for Goalkeepers Soccer Psychology | Mental Skills for Football Youth Sports Psychology | Mental Skills Training for Kids and Parents Frequently Asked Questions about Football or Soccer Psychology Frequently Asked Questions about Goalkeeping Psychology

In the second of 3 episodes created for parents of young people who play football I carry on the conversation about enjoyment on the football pitch. Where on this occasion I introduce the relationship between enjoyment in football, the impact of playing poorly, performance levels and self-esteem. I go on to discuss what self esteem is, what you could expect from someone with high self-esteem and factors that can contribute to low self-esteem. In addition, I touch on life control and "having a can-do attitude", a measure of mental toughness that is connected with self-esteem, and the complexities surrounding self-esteem at a young age. You can also expect some helpful advice on how to help young footballers who face this challenge and struggle with feelings of low self-esteem. Connect with David Charlton Sign up to The X-FACTOR regular emails helping football and soccer players to get the most from their talent Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn Check out our library of content supporting football and soccer players and coaches